Several financial meetings were held in Colonie last week with one common goal to work toward finding a way to cost residents less without taking away the elements that make Colonie their home.
Town Supervisor Paula Mahan called a special public meeting Thursday night, April 3, to discuss the town’s $18 million deficit and what is being done to help alleviate the financial burden.
We’re looking at ideas for a specific strategic plan,` said Mahan, who began the meeting by encouraging the town residents who filled the room, some even standing in the Town Hall corridor, to listen to what the supervisor and Town Board would say. She said to their input was crucial in developing a plan to cut back the deficit as a `collaborative process.`
Also speaking at the meeting was Craig Blair, the town comptroller, and Bob Sikura, Colonie’s financial advisor from Munistat Investor Services.
`We do have some direction and we have options ` and that’s a good thing,` Mahan told the crowd.
The options Mahan referred to include deficit funding allocations from the state, which according to Sikura, need to be decided by October when $16 million in short-term debt will need to be paid.
`The only way to improve is to eliminate the deficit as quickly as we can,` said Sikura.
He also emphasized the urgency of asking the state for deficit funding because it takes a certain amount of time for the state legislation, which provides the funding to the town, to be adopted, and even longer for the money to be in the town’s hands.
`I wish we could have the luxury of taking our time, but when we come into Oct. 3 and we can’t roll over the funding, then what do we do?` Sikura asked.
He also said that the town had come close to being locked out of the credit markets.
Other, local measures, were discussed at the meeting that would allow the people of Colonie to directly get involved.
Mahan said the town had already begun eliminating pet-waste bags throughout The Crossings park, and will instead have drop boxes throughout the town where people can deposit their used plastic grocery bags so that dog walkers may take them instead of using bags funded by the town. This recycling of bags is expected to save the town about $4,000.
During public comment, C.J. O’Rourke, of Loudonville, asked how long Sikura had been the town’s financial advisor. Sikura said he had been advising the town since the early 1970s on Colonie’s bond.
O’Rourke then asked Sikura if the previous board had then been aware of the accumulating deficit, to which Sikura replied, `Yes.`
Turning to board member Tom With, a Republican who had been part of the previous administration, O’Rourke asked, `Tom, were you aware that the town was involved in this sort of deficit?`
`Not at these numbers,` With said, at which point Town Attorney Michael Magguilli told O’Rourke that his commentary was getting out of order.
`Why weren’t we, the town people, informed?` asked O’Rourke.
O’Rourke’s concern that the public was left in the dark while the previous administration had known all along about the town’s financial distress was mirrored by several residents who rose to the microphone to speak that night.
Mahan said that transparency is an important part of this process and that it is important to keep the public aware of what is going on with the town deficit.
She explained that though her administration has just begun, she already has plans in place to avoid this type of deficit occurring under her term.
She said by going to meetings in her neighborhood, she has learned from this experience and that she will not `put a stamp` on anything that the public will not be involved in.
`If there’s ever a big plan here, I’m going to ask how we’re going to pay for it,` said Mahan.
An example she gave of a plan that was vetoed due to lack of money in was new technology equipment for the town’s water monitors.
When the issue of tax increases came up, Mahan said, `When we look at taxes, you have to rational.`
She said the town is trying to avoid an increase, but there is always that possibility.
Later, the Town of Colonie hosted a roundtable meeting at The Crossings regarding the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief, where Mahan spoke about how important it is to talk with the community about these types of financial concerns.
`It’s not easy going to the public, and sometimes you have to hear things you don’t want to hear, and that’s the hard part,` she said at the Monday, April 7, meeting.
Throughout the meeting, Mahan referred to the town’s `10-year strategic financial and management plan,` which outlines short-term objectives, which include: limiting travel and conference attendance; a freeze on all non-essential spending; a reduction of capital expenditures by 50 percent or more; and reduced contractual expenses.
A few long-term objectives of the plan include: generating more property and sales tax for large commercial residential projects that are proposed for this year and the future, including the Holiday Inn, Super Wal-Mart and Colonie Center Remodeling; using The Crossings park for more income-producing projects; continued consolidation of services throughout each individual department on an annual basis; and the construction and adoption of a `structurally balanced budget,` with a deficit reduction line.
Mahan’s director of communications, Peter Gannon, said the supervisor was pleased with the turnout of the special public meeting and that she once again stresses the importance of informing the public.
Bill Mangus, a Colonie resident of more than 40 years said that he is kind of upset about the commotion surrounding the town’s financial issues, but, referring to the supervisor, he said, `I think she’s working as hard as she can with what she’s got.` “